PRODUCT REVIEWS
Processing premium steels
Tata Steel has commissioned FIMI to supply a levelling and cut-to-length line with an automated packaging system designed for high-strength strip steels . At the Maastricht Service Centre in Feijen , Netherlands ( a subsidiary of Tata Steel Nederland ), work has begun on the installation of a new highperformance levelling and cut-to-length line with automated packaging . This is part of Tata Steel ’ s plans to prepare for increasing future demand for abrasion-resistant and high-strength premium steels , particularly in markets for equipment in construction , mining and agriculture .
“ Using the new decoiling line , these steels can be processed quicker and more accurately to a wider window and in a more sustainable way . The finished plates will be delivered to customers in Germany , Eastern Europe , the Benelux markets , the UK and the Nordic region . The commissioning of the new decoiler , supplied by [ our specialist teams ], is scheduled for mid-2024 ,” commented FIMI .
“ With the commissioning of this new line , high-tensile coils can be processed even faster and with greater accuracy . In addition , the line will be capable of handling particularly demanding challenges across a wide variety of products . For example , it will process coils weighing up to 40 tonnes and a yield strength of up to 1600N / mm ², with the highest hardness levels available , in widths of up to 2150mm and thicknesses from 1.5mm up to 13mm , running up to 40m / minute . This will make it the most powerful line that we have designed and produced for processing ultra-high tensile and yield strength material at high thicknesses ,” it added .
The aim is for very high plate quality and the ability to meet the increasing technical requirements of future steel grades . The end-products processed by the line will have high flatness levels of less than 3mm / m , to very tight dimensional tolerances ( less than ± 2.5mm up to 12,000mm sheet length ). The premium products processed at Feijen include the abrasion-resistant steel Valast ® - 450 ( used in agricultural and construction equipment , tippers and trailers ); ultra highstrength steels ( UHSS ) including Tata Steel ’ s Ympress ® range from S700 to S1100 and higher ; and Boron-Manganese ( MnB5 ) steels for applications in farming equipment , for example .
Automated functions and applications on the new line include automated loading and threading , an automated robot destrapping unit and automated thickness and dimensional measurement . The new decoiling line will include three levellers where coil entry can be fully automated with no physical contact , ensuring the safety of the operators . The brushing process for descaling the steel strip includes an intelligent extraction and filter system
to minimise particulate emissions inside and outside the building .
“ Camera-based , in-line measurement technology will allow fully automated control of surface quality and plate dimensions . Two stacking stations will allow non-stop operations with a sheet-to-sheet stacking accuracy of 2mm . There will also be automated sheet weighing and labelling . The advanced stacking technology includes an airbag system for noise reduction and shock absorption , ensuring that noise emissions are reduced to a maximum of 85dB when the sheets are stacked on top of each other ,” added the manufacturer .
At the heart of the line will be FIMI ’ s levelling technology . FIMI has developed a high-tech levelling process specifically for high-strength carbon steel material , based on utilising all the levellers installed on the line . The set-up and distribution of torque between the levellers is fully automated . The key factor for levelling ultra-high yield strength materials is FIMI ’ s patented TDDS ® ( Torque Dynamic Distribution System ), which is based on the application of special slip couplings on each exit shaft of the drive unit distributor as connecting elements to the shafts which transmit the movement to the levelling rolls . n
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New press repair contract
Rhodes Interform manufacturing plant in Wakefield , UK .
Rhodes Interform , part of Group Rhodes , is a specialist in mechanical and hydraulic press manufacture and refurbishment . It has just announced another major project win in the aerospace industry .
The contract , recently completed successfully , is phase one of two for the refit of a 1989 vintage 3000-ton ‘ Chester Hydraulics ’ SPF press , at BAE Systems Samlesbury in the north-west of the UK . The press is a critical piece of equipment that manufactures major parts for the Typhoon ( Eurofighter ) aircraft .
Rhodes Interform ’ s technical director , Peter Anderton , said : “ This is a specialist repair to the ‘ hotbox ’ ensuring that the stringent temperature accuracies required during the manufacturing process are maintained . We won the contract based on our vast expertise in the manufacture , design and repair of SPF presses in the aerospace sector . The lockdown was obviously a difficult time for the industry , but over the past few months we have won several contracts for new machinery and equipment refurbishment . We are very optimistic for the continued recovery of the UK aerospace sector .”
Rhodes Interform ’ s machine refurbishments offer customers a solution to dramatically improve equipment life and increase productivity . The company provides a complete one-stop refurbishment service , from arranging where necessary for the machine to be transported to the company ’ s maintenance
facility in Wakefield , through to retrofitting new components and re-commissioning on-site .
Rhodes Interform ’ s parent company Group Rhodes , based in West Yorkshire , boasts a 200- year metalforming history . The company has won Queen ’ s Awards for both Innovation and International Trade in recent years , particularly for its work in the aerospace sector . n